Increasing number of morbidly obese teens turning to surgery

The increasing obesity trends in children and teenagers in the United States is causing a massive number of adolescents to seek weight loss surgery, according to a new paper published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. The report says that the number of 10 to 19-year-olds having obesity surgery did not show significant movement between 1996 and 2000, but soared in the three years after that to 2003. The study said that although diet and modifying behavior is still the preferred weight-loss choice, obesity or Bariatric surgery is also being considered as an option. Lead researcher Wilson S. Tsai of the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and colleagues examined the number of bariatric surgeries conducted at sample hospitals. During the study period around 566 such surgeries were conducted at the sample hospitals.